


inches and miles

by jdphoenix



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drabble Sequence, F/M, Iron Man 1, Pepperony Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2018-11-29 23:18:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11451132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jdphoenix/pseuds/jdphoenix
Summary: Nine times out of ten Tony's the one taking advantage when Pepper gives him an inch. But when they both slip up in the one way that matters most, fate takes the reins, taking them both that extra mile and then some.





	1. touch

**Author's Note:**

> While this is being written for [pepperony week 2017](http://dailypepperony.tumblr.com/post/161389809346), it _is_ a chapter fic, with each chapter corresponding to a different day. Don't be surprised if there aren't seven chapters total though, I already know at least one of the days won't work with this story.

There’s this rule Tony has, written in big neon letters in his head:

Don’t Touch Pepper

It’s a good rule, keeps him sane (well, sane-ish, he _is_ a brooding genius). Most nights anyway. Tonight he’s having trouble pulling his attention away from Pepper’s back. It’s not bare—she’d never _dream_ of wearing anything so scandalous while she’s on the clock—but she’s taken off her jacket in deference to the Nevada heat and the white button-up she’s wearing—well, he thinks she might’ve picked it because it’s light and airy and forgotten that the back’s a little see-through.

Normally this wouldn’t be a problem. In all the years they’ve been together, Tony’s seen Pepper in way less than this. Last summer, for instance, he flew the board to a private island—not a real well thought-out plan; old white guys in speedos was not fun. But Pepper was there and even loosened up enough to take a dip in a bikini. Privately. At night. In the pool instead of on the beach. But Tony saw and he’s man enough to admit he committed the whole thing to memory, stores it right there in between Dum-E’s schematics and Rhodey’s mom’s phone number.

And that is … not helping. He should not be thinking about Pepper-in-a-bikini when he’s had one too many and she’s walking around his hotel suite shoeless and braless.

Yeah, braless. When she bends over the little coffee table and the thin cotton hugs her spine, he can see that trail of freckles like a constellation pointing south. And there’s no sign of a bra.

He wonders if she’s eschewed all underwear.

He’s up, off the couch and heading for the balcony. The night’s cooled off some and boy does he need it.

“Tony?”

His lips twist, caught between a grin and a grimace. He loves it when she slips up, calls him by his first name. It’s how he knows she cares, that she’s more than just his assistant. (The picking him up off the workroom floor when he’s passed out in his own bodily fluids is a pretty good sign too, but those aren’t his proudest moments so he prefers the first name thing.)

But she _is_ his assistant and that’s the problem right there so he turns to close the sliding glass door in her face. Only Pepper’s damn fast on her feet when she wants to be and without her heels, he can’t hear her coming. He ends up turning right into her. Her hand’s lifted and wherever it was going before, it detours to his face, his forehead, his cheek. Her fingers are long and thin, delicate where his are rough and callused. Her silky touch slides over his way-past-five o’clock shadow and he gets the idea he’s gonna tear her, ruin her.

He doesn’t hate the thought as much as he should.

“Are you feeling all right? When’s the last time you ate?” She’s tutting over him like some mother hen. That’s Pepper. Always taking care of him. “I’ll call room service, get you something-”

He catches her hand when she tries to go back in.

“Tony?” She sounds really worried now.

He thinks about apologizing, but he’s already broken his rule. He’s _touching_ her, and now the thing he always knew would happen is happening: he can’t seem to stop.

“I really fucked up, didn’t I?” He’s not _gonna_ ruin her, he already has. He can’t even remember the last time Pepper was on a date. (Which is not to say he doesn’t remember the last time Pepper _had_ a date. She never made it though because he threw an impromptu Thank God It’s Friday party.) He’s got this stupid rule he clings to like a lifeline but the truth is he’s only fooling himself. Pepper and him, they’re … well, they’re _them_. Have been for a while now.

“What? No. The demonstration is gonna go fine. There’s no reason-”

She makes a breathy little noise when her knuckles scrape against his goatee.

“Tony.”

He kisses those soft fingers, lets his rough lips rest against them. He can feel her pulse pounding and imagines pressing his lips to all her pulse points, imagines the sounds she’ll make at each one.

“What are you doing?” she asks while he’s debating whether she’d scream or moan while he works on her most sensitive pulse point. The uncertainty in her question is like a bucket of cold water.

He should stop. He should let her go, abide by his rule, and go to bed. Alone. Or better yet, avoid temptation entirely by heading downstairs to the casino. A few hours of gambling will distract him well enough and by the time he’s done, he’s sure to have picked up one or two ladies to take the edge off.

It’d work. He knows it’d work because it’s worked before. Only tonight he can’t quite help but think about Pepper’s side of things. She’s usually got a pretty good poker face but he can see a blush like a forest fire burning up her neck and her pupils are dilated, a definite sign of arousal. If he leaves her now, she won’t go trolling the strip for some idiot to fuck. Will she go take a cold shower in her suite? A long, sensual bath? Will she lay down on her five hundred-count Egyptian sheets afterward and touch herself, thinking of his hands?

“All right,” she says, forcing her powerful businesswoman tone (which may or may not feature in one or two of his personal fantasies), “you’ve had enough to drink. Time for bed, Mr. Stark. We can finish going over your speech in the morning.”

He pulls her closer when she tries to move away. She doesn’t stumble against him the way most beautiful women do, she’s not here to seduce him, but the millimeters she keeps between them and the way her body heat bleeds through his shirt are a hell of a turn-on. His other hand catches her hip and she squeaks when he squeezes.

“ _Tony_ ,” she says sternly, and in the gust of her breath he smells alcohol.

“You’ve been drinking too.” He’s seen her. Not as much as him and she’s been smart about snacking from the minibar along the way, but she’s not sober.

She scoffs. “Not enough to think this is a good idea.” She extracts her hand from his to push at his chest. “Bed.”

His grin is a helluva lot more lecherous than he ever lets it be around her.

She groans and he notices her hands are still on his chest. “You’re incorrigible. Go to your _own_ bed _alone_. In the morning you’ll be glad I didn’t join you.”

Maybe a little, yeah, but he knows himself. They’ve done more tame versions of this dance often enough he knows his relief will be bitter, tainted by more thoughts of what could’ve been, would’ve been. It’s not just the sign in his head, there’s also an overflowing closet with all the near-misses and fantasies that have built up between them over the years. He’s tired of adding to it.

“It’s your birthday,” he says. Her neck does this thing where her whole body stays where it is but her head rears back. He rolls his eyes to avoid staring at the long line of exposed skin. “Soon?” He really can’t remember right now. It was on a Thursday last year so it can’t be today since this is a Thursday too. And he’s not even sure if this is the right month. He knows it had a vowel in it somewhere. “A kiss for the birthday girl?”

That flush deepens. “You’re not thinking about a kiss.”

And she’s not pulling away anymore, not even when his hand slides up her back, feeling all that smooth skin through her blouse. “No, I’m not.”

He gives her every chance to back out, come to her senses, but once his lips are on hers, all bets are off. He doesn’t even think about it, he just knows that this kiss, the one he’s dreamed about for literal _years_ , is better than any of those fantasies because it’s _real_ and _happening._ And he was right, she really does make fantastic noises when his mustache scrapes against her neck.

Sure, peppered (heh) between the moans and gasps are half-hearted statements that this is wrong, they shouldn’t be doing this, whatever. They’ve been denying themselves for years, it’s time they were a little selfish.

Despite what she says, her hands are as efficient as she ever is, teasing at his hair—he always knew, whenever she’d touch up his hair before a big meeting, that her hands tugging at it for real would drive him absolutely wild—while also somehow undoing the buttons of his shirt. And those heels must’ve been good for something other than showing off her legs and making her taller than him, since she has no trouble backing over the step from the balcony into the room.

Tony’s always had great sense of sexual direction and guides them into the suite’s master bedroom without incident. But he stops when they’re inches away from the giant bed.

“Yes or no, Pep,” he says, forcing his hands to still on her hips. _Under_ her shirt though, because he’s a bastard. Worse, he can see she wants to say no, written plain on her face, and he’s not saying it for her.

She’s the practical one, the sensible one. It’s her job to keep him from doing stupid things like this. He won’t do it for her.

Her whole body softens against his and a sigh slips past those swollen lips. “Yes.”

It’s the most beautiful word in the whole damn world. He doesn’t give her the chance to think better of it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

She was right. About him regretting it in the morning. Not the sex, he’ll be more grateful for that than he knows in a few days when he’s being held in a cave in Afghanistan and he needs his memories of home to keep him going. But he absolutely regrets not thinking this through better when he rolls over and cuddles up against empty sheets.

 


	2. pre-relationship

Pepper’s never thought of herself as a coward—she faces down some of the most powerful men in the world on a regular basis and she got the job by marching right into Tony Stark’s office and demanding he acknowledge the accounting error she’d found—but it turns out she is nothing more than a big, fat coward.

She ran away. That’s all there is to it. She slipped out of bed in the dead of night and used her position and Tony’s name to fly back to LA before he even woke up. She slept with a man and then was so ashamed she put more than two _hundred_ miles between them.

God, she is pathetic.

And worse than that, she neglected her job. She saw it, Obie stepping up when Tony didn’t come to collect his award. And was she ashamed that she wasn’t there to extract the drink from Tony’s hand and replace it with his carefully written speech and then push him ever so respectfully up to the stage? Oh no. She was _afraid_ that he wasn’t there because he was _here_ , hunting her down to demand they _talk_.

It’s a full twenty-four hours after she leaves Vegas that she remembers Tony Stark doesn’t _talk_. At least not after the deed’s been done. For that, he has Pepper.

She has a good laugh over that thought; is he gonna send her to give herself a gentle let-down?

By then the happy birthday wishes have started coming in, along with a text from Jarvis informing her that Tony has successfully returned to the mansion. Did he stay for the ceremony, she wonders as she drives in to the office. Or did he find her gone and hop in a car, taking the long drive back across scorching desert, probably stopping at no less than three kitschy roadside attractions along the way.

Not that it matters. It wouldn’t change anything no matter what he did.

She spends the morning working, fielding calls and putting out fires Tony wouldn’t be bothered with even if he were in today. Once she’s caught up with everything, she switches Tony’s e-mail to the standard automated reply that he’s unreachable and then drives out to the mansion. He’s got that presentation tomorrow and Rhodey is going to meet him at the airfield this afternoon so they can fly out together. Normally she’d spend most of the day sending him reminder texts that would inevitably be ignored, but they have some business to take care of beforehand.

“Good morning, Ms. Potts,” Jarvis says, opening the door for her so she doesn’t have to juggle Tony’s dry cleaning and the paperwork she’s brought along.

“Morning, Jarvis,” she says, immediately relieved it’s him and not Tony greeting her. Not that Tony would. Not that he ever has. There’s absolutely no cause for him to. “Is he-?”

“Mr. Stark is in the workshop. He has asked not to be disturbed.”

Pepper knows that Jarvis is a computer program, no more capable of emoting than her toaster oven is, but she swears there’s something knowing about his tone. She established long ago that Tony’s “do not disturb” orders apply to everyone _but_ her, otherwise she couldn’t do her job.

“When’s the last time he ate?” she asks on her way to his room to hang up the clothes. The question is rote, the same one she asks every time she comes in to find him already at work. Today, however, it reminds her of the last time she saw him, her suggestion that he eat to help his body process the alcohol more quickly.

Her stomach sours as Jarvis answers—an untoasted bagel sometime around two this morning—and she thinks for what has to be the hundredth time that she really should have just called room service.

She fixes a sandwich before heading down—a simple PB&J that won’t go bad if he ignores it for five hours—and swallows her nausea. If her nerves were ever going to stop her, it should’ve been back in Vegas; now is far too late to go running scared. She sets her shoulders, lifts her chin, and keys in her personal override for the lock on the workshop.

It’s quiet. No blasting heavy metal, no curses and angry orders hurled at the bots, just the gentle tink of metal on metal as Tony works over the old charger. She gets the feeling he’s watching her, even though his head’s buried beneath the hood.

“I brought you lunch,” she says, allowing the familiar rhythm of work carry her through the initial awkwardness, “try not to leave it when you go to meet Rhodey, which you have to leave for in two hours so you should think about showering. Your bag is already packed, along with two changes of clothes in case of inclement weather, and your speech is in the side pocket, try to review it on the flight. I have some papers legal wants you to sign before you go, my letter of resignation, and the new cost analysis for the new wing of the aerospace lab.”

“Whoa whoa whoa.” Tony’s across the lab in a heartbeat. He tosses the plate and sandwich onto the circular desk, then rifles through the carefully organized papers she brought along, covering them in grease stains until he reaches her letter. He scans through it for all of two seconds before demanding, “Your _what_?”

“My letter of resignation,” she says. She’s rather proud with how steady she sounds, especially when she’s face-to-face with her very irate boss and trying valiantly to ignore the smell of him. He’s been working a long time, has built up quite a sweat. It’s difficult not to think of the sweat he built up the last time they were together.

Tony looks from it to her and back again. Then he rips it in half and lets the two pieces flutter to the floor. “I do not accept.”

There’s another copy under the cost analysis. She leaves it where it is for now, better to talk him around before giving him something else to take out his anger on.

“I slept with my boss,” she says, enunciating carefully. “Frankly, it’s a miracle I haven’t been fired yet.”

Tony rolls his eyes. “You’re not fired and you’re not resigning.”

“Tony-”

His mouth quirks up on one side. She doesn’t know why, this is serious!

“I can’t keep working for you after what happened.”

“Okay,” he says. Way too easily. Tony never gives in without a fight. “I see your point. But I can’t live without you.”

She turns away. He is _ridiculous_. This isn’t some stupid romcom. They are two adults who engaged in very stupid, very excellent sex and now they have to face the consequences. She knew that when she let this happen, but she let herself pretend that she could actually have what she wanted, who she wanted, when she knows that isn't how he works. She should’ve put a stop to it, but she didn’t and now she has to pay.

He darts around her, lifting his hands to stop her. It’s an excellent holding technique; his hands are still filthy and she’s just quit her job, she can’t afford to ruin this blazer when she’ll soon need it for interviews.

“I mean I can’t function without you,” he says. “We both know I’m a mess every time you go on vacation.”

“I haven’t been on vacation in three years.”

“Because I’m a mess!” He sighs, going strangely serious. “The company can’t afford to lose you, Pepper.”

She rests her weight on the desk behind her, crossing her arms while she thinks. He isn’t wrong, and likely the entire world would guess what happened if she up and quits now, but that still doesn’t change the fact that she has to. “We had sex,” she reminds him.

“Yeah,” he agrees, smiling.

He’s remembering it, she can see it on his face, probably thinking of that thing she did with her legs that actually seemed to surprise the playboy himself. But she’s not thinking of that. She’s thinking of the way he smiled at her afterward, how gentle his hands were as they trailed over all the places he’d explored already. He looked at her with those soft eyes and for a second she hoped…

She closes her eyes. She isn’t this person. She can be a coward, but she can’t be the woman who pines after her man-whore boss like a lovesick fool. It was one thing before when she only loved him silently. Nothing could or would ever happen and she was okay with that. But now that she’s been with him, had him for one brief night, she can’t watch him go back to chasing every short skirt that passes by.

But she’ll be damned before she explains that to him, so she can only stare silently at the wall, willing him to understand.

“How about this?” he asks. “I’m going to the demonstration. It’ll be a couple days what with all the international travel. I’ll take the long way home too, drop in on the Hong Kong office unannounced, scare the shit out of them. By the time I get back, it’ll be nearly a week, plenty of time for both of us to cool down, and then we can talk this through. All right?”

“There’s nothing to talk through,” she says weakly, well aware it sounds like a plea.

“Then it won’t take long. Just-” He hesitates; she cannot for the life of her remember the last time she heard Tony hesitate. “Just don’t hire your replacement until I get back.”

Now he sounds like the one who’s pleading, and she finds herself nodding in agreement without thinking.

“Promise?” he presses.

“I promise.” She can’t hire anyone, that’s up to him, but she can at least use the time he’s away to line up a few candidates.

He smiles, that bright Tony Stark smile like he’s a kid in the world’s biggest candy store. “See you in a few days, Potts,” he says and walks out with a spring in his step, presumably to get cleaned up for his flight.

It is the first time he has ever, of his own free will (the time she lied to him about the ETD doesn’t count) made it to a flight early.

 

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Pepper has every intention of spending the day hunting through SI’s HR records for the perfect replacement to keep Tony’s life running smoothly and hopefully never make the monumental mistake of sleeping with him. That’s her intention, but she doesn’t even make it through breakfast before she gets the call.

After she hangs up, after she pulls herself off the floor, she spends the day fielding calls from reporters and holding Obie’s hand and telling herself it’s all a mistake, he’ll come waltzing in any minute, not a scratch on him.

He doesn’t.

 


	3. family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a little different, format-wise, so it's worth noting that it's from Jarvis' POV.

House Log :: 01.24.08

No occupants.

Dum-E and U have successfully cleaned the workshop. The 1960 Chevy Charger has been returned to its parking space. The papers Ms. Potts left behind are piled, separated by type. An e-mail has been sent informing her of their location. The sandwich Mr. Stark failed to consume has been thrown away.

The south lawn is showing signs of dryness. Sprinklers will be run for an extra ten minutes on next cycle.

Mr. Stark is not expected home until Thursday at the earliest. Security system is set.

No further activity.

 

 

House Log :: 01.25.08

No occupants.

Internal temperature is regulated below 90º as no guests are anticipated.

All vehicles are currently on site.

Security system is set.

Addendum: Routine scans of media outlets indicate harm has befallen Mr. Stark. Scans will be repeated at regular intervals as news develops.

 

 

House Log :: 01.26.08

Guests anticipated. Internal temperature adjusted to 74º for their comfort.

06:35 Sprinklers run. South lawn receives an additional ten minutes. No malfunctions.

06: 52 Ms. Potts arrives.

Security system disarmed.

This is more than half an hour earlier than her usual arrival time and more than five hours earlier than her typical starting time when Mr. Stark is not in residence. Inquiry into the cause of her early arrival is made. Ms. Potts showcases behavior indicative of emotional distress (red face, shortness of breath, crying). Tea is offered as well as several of the most popular humorous cat videos available online. Ms. Potts refuses all comfort and requests to know whether information has been obtained regarding Mr. Stark’s disappearance.

07:01 Initial report on Mr. Stark’s disappearance: Major media outlets have confirmed that Mr. Stark’s convoy was attacked-

Error.

Audible report halted.

Remainder of report logged for future reference and revision.

07:03 Ms. Potts enters bathroom 2-B. No visual data is logged per Mr. Stark’s previous instruction: Pepper, State of Undress.

07:12 Ms. Potts emerges showing signs that she has washed her face and touched up her make-up.

07:15 Ms. Potts departs.

Security system is set.

 

 

 

House Log :: 01.30.08

Mr. Stark has not arrived as expected. Media reporting on disappearance is waning as public interest declines. No report of death. Situation will be monitored.

South lawn continues to degrade. Options for alternative lawn types will be gathered for Mr. Stark’s perusal.

Security system set.

 

 

House Log :: 02.25.08

Stark Industries’ stock rose five points following Mr. Stane’s speech marking the one month anniversary of Mr. Stark’s disappearance. (See video file: 022508 OSTANE_REC) Stock still fourteen points beneath average prior to Mr. Stark’s disappearance.

Light bulbs in need of replacing: 18, 47, 52. Added to monthly supply requisition.

All food in refrigerator has been disposed of due to lack of consumption. Added to monthly supply requisition.

Monthly supply requisition forwarded to Ms. Potts for approval.

No change in Mr. Stark’s status.

Security system set.

 

 

House Log :: 03.25.08

19:26 Ms. Potts arrives unexpectedly. Adjustments made to internal temperature. Beverage offered to offset delay in adjustment. Offer refused.

19:39 Ms. Potts enters workshop. Dum-E and U wake. Ms. Potts offers greetings. Both robots return the audible sentiment by waving their appendages.

20:51 Ms. Potts exits the workshop.

20:55 Ms. Potts enters Mr. Stark’s bedroom.

21:23 Ms. Potts’ breathing has grown shallow and regular. Eye movement is low. Interior lights are dimmed for her sleeping comfort.

No change in Mr. Stark’s status.

Security system set.

 

 

House Log :: 04.14.08

07:28 Ms. Potts arrives.

Security system disengaged.

07:30 Ms. Potts begins inspection of interior. Lights are adjusted where appropriate.

07:51 Ms. Potts enters bathroom 1-C. No visual data is logged per Mr. Stark’s previous instruction: Pepper, State of Undress.

Audible file created. (See recording 041408 PPOTTS_LIV.) Analysis indicates Ms. Potts has suffered gastronomic distress. This is the third visit during which Ms. Potts has displayed such symptoms. As Ms. Potts’ visits are weekly, symptoms indicate ongoing physical ailment.

Pain In The Ass Protocol engaged. Ms. Potts’ online activity will see a spike in ads reminding the user that regular medical check-ups are necessary. In addition, the quarterly reminder from Stark Industries HR department will be forwarded ahead of schedule. Resulting inquiry and loss of productivity in HR department is within acceptable loss parameters.

07:59 Ms. Potts exits the bathroom and returns to her office.

09:14 Ms. Potts departs.

No change in Mr. Stark’s status.

Security system set.

 

 

House Log :: 04.15.08

No change in Mr. Stark’s status.

Security system set.

 

 

House Log :: 04.16.08

No change in Mr. Stark’s status.

Security system set.

 

 

House Log :: 04.17.08

No change in Mr. Stark’s status.

Security system set.

 

 

House Log :: 04.18.08

No change in Mr. Stark’s status.

Security system set.

 

 

House Log :: 04.19.08

No change in Mr. Stark’s status.

Security system set.

Addendum: Mr. Stark has been found.

 

 

House Log 04.20.08

05:42 Ms. Potts arrives.

Security system disengaged.

Ms. Potts gives audible report on Mr. Stark’s status. Adjustments made to current on file report.

Ms. Potts shows outward signs of previous distress (red eyes and nose, swollen eyelids), yet at the same time exhibits outward signs of pleasure (a type 14 smile, unusual exuberance for the early hour).

Error in analysis.

Further observation required.

05:44 Ms. Potts removes several days’ worth of clothes from Mr. Stark’s wardrobe.

05:59 Ms. Potts enters workshop. Ms. Potts recovers letter of resignation from Mr. Stark’s desk. Ms. Potts requests that Dum-E shred letter of resignation.

06:04 Ms. Potts departs.

Security system engaged.

 

 

House Log :: 04.24.08

14:57 Mr. Stark returns.

Security system disengaged.

 

 

Creating secondary log

File name: TS:PA

Purpose: To further understanding of human behavior, this log will document Mr. Stark’s behavior following his return from Afghanistan and analyze.

 

 

TS:PA Log :: Day 001

Mr. Stark’s first act upon returning home was to announce Stark Industries will no longer be manufacturing weapons. The ramifications of this announcement were numerous, but as this log is dedicated to only Mr. Stark’s health, he seems positive that his proposed change will be carried out successfully, despite the widespread doubt.

Mr. Stark vomited after returning to the mansion. He claimed this was to be expected as he ate four cheeseburgers after landing.

 

 

TS:PA Log :: Day 002

Mr. Stark slept for eight hours after Ms. Potts insisted he go to his bedroom rather than the workshop. It is a personal best.

There is no sign of the previous awkwardness between Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts. Neither has made mention of her desire to resign within range of available microphones and her recent computer activity gives no sign she is continuing the search for her replacement. As Mr. Stark claimed previously that Ms. Potts is necessary to his survival, this can only be a positive change. Their future interactions will be recorded and archived for analysis as the situation progresses.

 

 

House Log 04.28.08

07:16 Ms. Potts arrives. Per Mr. Stark’s orders, it is immediately requested that she divert downstairs.

07:31 Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark have their first altercation since his return. (See TS:PA Log Day 004 for further record and analysis.)

07:33 Ms. Potts enters bathroom 1-C. No visual data is logged per Mr. Stark’s previous instruction: Pepper, State of Undress.

Audible file created. (See recording 042808 PPOTTS_LIV.) Analysis indicates no recurrence of previous physical distress. Audible file slated for deletion.

 

 

TS:PA Log :: Day 004

The replacement arc reactor which Mr. Stark has spent the days since his return assembling was installed successfully with the help of U and Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark failed to inform Ms. Potts of the full extent of what she was assisting with, resulting in her growing fearful and at times frustrated. It is unknown whether Mr. Stark simply forgot to inform her or chose not to on purpose. His facial expression and the lack of fear in his voice, as well as his previous habits of lying to Ms. Potts in hopes of inciting a reaction, indicate the latter is likely. However, given his recent ordeal, the former is a possibility that cannot be discounted entirely.

Further observation is required.

The encounter ended amicably. Ms. Potts exhibited a smile (type 14) which she retained for 14.5 minutes, an unusually long duration for a smile of this type. The enthusiasm with which Mr. Stark began his next project was far more than expected given his recent cardiovascular distress.

 

 

House Log 05.15.08

11:12 Ms. Potts arrives and enters her office.

Video evidence suggests Ms. Potts spends most of the day “lost in thought.” She is immobile for 2.1 hours in total and much of her internet activity is spent monitoring social networking sites without outward sign she is actively absorbing the content.

17:16 A delivery from Sorento’s arrives.

17:19 Ms. Potts brings the pizza into the workshop in direct opposition to her previous complaints regarding Mr. Stark’s pizza box skyscrapers.

Ms. Potts deposits the pizza on Mr. Stark’s desk. Ms. Potts spends 2.4 minutes watching Mr. Stark work.

17:22 Ms. Potts exits the workshop and departs for the day.

Ms. Potts’ behavior is out of the ordinary. Further analysis will be made once pertinent medical texts have been accessed for reference.

 

 

TS:PA Log :: Day 021

Mr. Stark appeared unaware that Ms. Potts had entered the workshop or that she remained for an inordinate amount of time. Given that he was working on the Mark II project, this type of single-mindedness is not uncommon. However, Mr. Stark has proven to have a greater than normal awareness of Ms. Potts’ comings and goings since his return. Further observation required.

 

 

House Log 05.19.08

22:16 Mr. Stane arrives.

22:17 Mr. Stane pauses at console 1. (See video file 051908 OSTANE_LIV)

Error.

Error.

Error.

Backup systems accessed. File dump.

 

 

TS:PA Log :: Day 025

Mr. Stark was attacked within his home. (Video surveillance unavailable. See audio file 051908 OSTANE_LIV.) Security protocols were overridden by a presumed virus. The means of attack against Mr. Stark—initially identified as use of SI 1486-2 prototype—caused immediate paralysis.

Mr. Stark’s mental state during the attack has yet to be determined.

Paralysis lasted 14.1 minutes. At which time Mr. Stark regained sufficient physical control to reach the workshop. Report from Dum-E (Dum-E Log 051908) indicates the arc reactor was removed from Mr. Stark’s chest during the attack. With assistance from Dum-E, Mr. Stark was able to replace it with the previous model.

Mr. Stark lost consciousness for 5.2 minutes and was revived upon Lt. Rhodes’ arrival. His immediate priority was to ascertain Ms. Potts’ location, after which he put on the Mark II suit despite strenuous objections.

(See IM Log 05.19.08 for further activity.)

 

 

05.19.08 OSTANE_LIV

02:20 OS: Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I wouldn’t have minded raising another Stark brat, but it looks like they’ll both have to go.

 

 

Creating new protocol

File name: Stark II

Purpose: To observe and protect Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts’ offspring.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, apologies for how long this chapter took. It's truly ridiculous. Which is why I've tried to wrap things up here. 
> 
> Also I did accidentally keep to the fourth prompt from last year's pepperony week (quote), as this one does have a quote direct from the first Iron Man film.

He made the front page. Clothes on, for once. Banner day.

There’s a joke about it sitting on the tip of his tongue while Pepper removes the last traces of the fight from his face, but his brain’s still stuck on that photo in the newspaper. The Iron Man, they’re calling him. He looks like something out of a weird sci-fi meets medieval fantasy mash-up, standing in the middle of the freeway. There’s a car behind him. He can’t make it out in the grainy photo so he doesn’t know which one it is, but he can remember the screaming. High-pitched and childish, terrified kids just wanting to make it home alive. Hell.

“Here’s your alibi,” Coulson says, sweeping in to hand him a stack of 3x5s. Someone’s gonna have to tell this guy the rule about handing him things. “You were on your yacht. We have port papers that put you in Avalon all night and sworn statements from fifty of your guests.”

Tony skims the cards. These Strategic Homeland Whatever Whatever guys know what they’re doing. If he hadn’t been on site last night, even he wouldn’t suspect the story was anything other than what they say. Only…

“And Pepper?”

Coulson blinks, which Tony figures is probably about as surprised as he gets. “With you, I suppose. Does it matter? Your story’s the one people will be questioning.”

“She’s the one who was _targeted_ by a _maniac_ ,” Tony snaps back, an edge he doesn’t like at all creeping into his voice. It reminds him of the days he spent working on the armor, not really sure why except that it was something he _needed_ to do, of that fucking party and hearing Obie tell him he shut him out and seeing the news coverage of Gulmira.

He drags his gaze away from Coulson’s placid mask to focus on Pepper. Instantly some of the sharpness scraping at his insides softens.

She’s okay. She’s alive.

“And she can’t be on a boat. Seasickness.”

Pepper pales.

Coulson doesn’t see it. Or he does and he’s just not commenting. Who’s to say? “Fine. She was here, working. We’ll alter the computer logs to show her accessing SI systems.” He moves for the door. “Five minutes.”

“It’s a good story,” Pepper says. “All you have to do is stick to it, not poke holes in it.”

He tosses the newspaper aside, face-down so the car with the screaming kids isn’t staring at him. “Okay.”

The agreement startles her more than him standing up. He uses that to back her further into the office, to the couch he routinely falls on after working five days straight.

“Tony-” she says. Her legs hit the couch and she drops, those deer-in-the-headlights eyes fixed on him.

He lifts her legs so she can be comfortable and settles himself in what room is left next to her hip.

“How long have you known?” she asks, sounding sick.

That’s a little hurtful. Was she seriously _hiding_ it from him? So he’s made some bad (okay, terrible) life choices but he’s changed. Pepper knows him better than anyone, if anyone’s gotta see the man he’s become—the man he hopes he’s become—it’s gotta be her.

But she asked him a question he’s gotta answer. Dishonestly, unfortunately.

Neither of them have mentioned Obadiah but he’s here. He’s hovering over every conversation, every word. There was guilt dampening Pepper’s relieved smile earlier and it’s still dragging at her now. Together they killed a man they both considered a friend just yesterday. No way Tony can say his name and see that guilt grow. Or, worse, tell her that Obadiah knew when he went after her. So he lies.

“Jarvis.”

She rolls her eyes to the wall, hand going to her mouth. There are tears in her eyes.

Tony reaches for her waist, lets the heel of his hand rest against the side of her stomach. There’s a life in there, a tiny little person who’s half him, half her. God, the kid’s gonna be a terror. He can’t wait to meet ‘em.

“I was going to tell you,” she says, the words coming too fast. “But you were recovering and I didn’t want you to think that I was- I don’t want anything from you, Tony. This isn’t some manipulation or-”

“Hey, hey.” He knows it’s not. Just like she knows him better than anyone, he knows her too. She’s not like any of the women who’ve come to him over the years, claiming to be pregnant with his kid for a payout. She would never do that.

He pulls her hand from her face, brings it to his so he can kiss her knuckles. He means to stop there but he missed this, spent months in that hole in the ground dreaming of her hands. He kisses his way over the tops of her fingers, down to her palm.

“We’re gonna make this work,” he promises. “I won’t pretend I know how to be a good dad but I’ve always been a quick study.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she stays, still on that bullshit.

He gives her one of his most charming smiles. “I _want_ to do that. With you.”

“Tony-”

“Come on,” he says, dropping the sincerity for consternation. “Who else would I raise a kid with? You’ve spent all these years taking care of me, who else is gonna be able to handle my demon spawn?”

That gets a laugh out of her. Good. He was starting to miss her smile.

He leans in to give it a kiss, just because he can, but keeps it G-rated for now. He doesn’t want Coulson walking in on them and spooking her.

He taps the 3x5s against his knee. “Now, I’m gonna go out there and deliver this ridiculous cover story to the press, but only if you promise to stay right here, on this couch.”

She rolls her eyes again but the smile stays. “I’m not going to run out on you,” she says. “Jarvis would find me.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. “But I mean stay here because you’ve been on your feet all night. You need rest.”

“Tony, I’m pregnant, not dying.”

“Rest,” he insists, pushing her shoulders back so she’s reclined. “And I’ll sell the story.”

She glances at the TV mounted on the wall. Rhodey’s still prepping the press, doing his thing, selling the official lie. Tony knows it’s part of Rhodey’s job, but it’s kind of terrifying when he knows the real story.

“This is an either-or thing, isn’t it?” Pepper asks.

Tony can still see the newspaper out of the corner of his eye. Those kids are still screaming in his memory. He thinks about his and Pepper’s kid, little Stark Jr getting ready to turn the world upside-down, and he thinks about Obadiah saying he’d kill him before he even got the chance to _see_ the world.

It’s not an either-or. Whether Pepper insists on following him out there or uses the cover of the press conference to get a lead on Jarvis and run out on him, he’s gonna hold to the cover story. He can already feel it itching at him, but he can deal with a little discomfort for his family.

A grin spreads across his face, too warm and bright to be held back. He hides it by standing, spinning away to grab his suit jacket.

“Pretty much, yeah,” he lies. Another one. He’s starting this relationship off great, isn’t he?

Behind him, he hears Pepper huff and the faint shush of air being compressed out of pillows while she falls back into place.

“Fine. But don’t you dare think you can get away with this again. I have work to do.”

He grins. She’s not talking about quitting anymore. That’s a good sign.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He throws her a cheeky grin over his shoulder, half because he can and half for that one last look before he faces the wolves.

Pepper, scowling good-naturedly at him from the couch, already pulling her blackberry from her pocket to work while she waits. She’s damn gorgeous, way too good for him.

“Enjoy the show,” he says, barely making it out of sight before an honest to goodness spring gets into his step. 

 


End file.
